A better “View Larger Map”

ArcGIS Online web maps are easy to embed in websites and blogs. To embed your map, share the map publicly (or open an existing publicly shared map) then click Share and choose Embed in Website.

The HTML needed to embed the map is automatically generated, and by default includes a View Larger Map link which opens the embedded map in the ArcGIS Online map viewer.

The ArcGIS Online map viewer is used for authoring and configuring maps, and may not be appropriate for your target audience especially if it’s a more casual, public audience. If you’re embedding a map on your city website, or in the digital edition of the local newspaper, those clicking the link may be unfamiliar with some of the choices, tools, and concepts the map viewer exposes.

An alternative to using the map viewer is to use an application template that provides a “view only” experience, better for a public or casual audience. Another advantage of using templates is that you can present the legend or description of the map immediately when the link is opened.

To use one of the templates instead of the ArcGIS Online map viewer, just replace the link found in the automatically generated HTML. Shown below is the HTML that’s created after opening a publicly shared map and clicking Share, then Embed in Website. The link in the href attribute of the <a> element is highlighted. The link opens the embedded map using the ArcGIS Online map viewer.

To use another viewer for your map click Share, then choose Make a Web Application:

Browse for a suitable application template, keeping your intended audience in mind. Once you’ve found a template, you can choose Publish and configure the template, then replace the link using the map viewer with the one pointing to the configured application. Or you can shortcut the configuration process and copy the Preview link and replace the link in the HTML href attribute with that one.

Here’s two examples of View Larger Map links for embedded maps. The first example uses the default ArcGIS Online map viewer. The second example substitutes one of the templates from the template gallery. The template is the Two Panel template which presents the map description and legend immediately when opened. Which is best for your audience?

Browbo – thanks for pointing this out. If the organization does not have “allow annonymous access” checked on, then the “view larger map” option is not available. For that option to be enabled the organization must allow annon access. Otherwise “view larger map” will prompt the user to login to the organization, so it makes sense to disable that option in that case.